South Highlands Elementary Academic and Performing Arts Magnet School is located in Shreveport on Erie Street. / Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times

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Editor’s note

Today is the last day of a four-day series examining racial disparities at magnet schools in Caddo Parish. The Times analyzed student and school data for the 2012-13 school year. The newspaper also studied school performance data as released by the Louisiana Department of Education and historical documents as part of the project.

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District officials, legislators and advocates say more can be done to decrease racial disparities within Caddo schools’ magnet program.

A Times analysis of school district data found that while the majority of the 41,552 students in Caddo are black, fewer than 1,800 — or 6 percent — attend a magnet school. In contrast, about 1 in 4 white students are enrolled at one of the district’s eight magnet schools.

While stakeholders disagree on what it would take to make the magnet program more reflective of the district’s demographics, all agree any change must be for the betterment not only of magnet schools, but the entire system.

Here’s a summary of expert viewpoints:

Change entrance tests

To enter into the magnet program, students are required to compete for one of the vacant spots using a test. School Board member Dottie Bell said the test is a key part of why black students do not attend a magnet school.

“The testing requirement is unfair and hurts no one but poor black children,” Bell said.

Bell proposed eliminating the test altogether. Such a notion is not uncommon in other school districts with magnet programs. In places such as Charlotte, N.C., and Lexington, Ky., a lottery system is used to place interested students.

Superintendent Gerald Dawkins said he is not opposed to other options beyond a test.

“We need to look at all options,” he said. “We can no longer be confined as a district to doing something just because it’s the way we’ve done it in the past. Whatever we decide must be what’s best for all students.”

Improving scores and perception at all schools

“The best way to fix your magnet schools is to have families know they will receive a quality education wherever they go,” state Sen. Greg Tarver said.

Tarver said the magnet program is coveted because parents see the magnets then look to their neighborhood schools as lesser than.

“Of course, kids aren’t going to go to their neighborhood school where there is a quality program if they believe the only way they will get a good education is in a magnet school,” Tarver said.

In a district where 22 schools are labeled failing under the state’s standards more must be done to ensure all students attend a quality school, state Superintendent John White said.

“There is a glaring problem that is shining a bright light in our faces that we must address in Caddo,” White said. “It is not acceptable so many children attend failing schools in Caddo Parish, and we have to do something to turn that number around.”

But Bell said failing is all in how one looks at it.

“We have great teachers and high-performing students at all of our schools,” Bell said. “The students and teachers at Turner and Huntington are no better or worse than those at any other school. All of our schools are improving and have something to offer.”

Bell said instead the district must do a better job of showing off its programs.

Dawkins said he agrees.

“There are no bad schools in Caddo Parish, but there are negative perceptions,” Dawkins said. “We have to change that if we are going to change anything in our schools.”

Increase access to early childhood education programs

Although Gov. Bobby Jindal’s education reform plan received criticism from districts including Caddo and Bossier, one of the pieces all stakeholders agree is important is early childhood education.

“If we want to get more students to feel like they can compete, they can do that through a Caddo Parish pre-kindergarten,” Bell said.

State Sen. Barrow Peacock voted in favor of Jindal’s reform and said part of his reasoning was the opportunities available to students through early childhood education (ECE) programs.

“Early childhood education is where everything starts,” said Peacock, who has children in the magnet program. “If we want to address graduation rates and dropout rates, one of the things we always see is that it starts by increasing quality ECE programs.”

But White makes the distinction between students attending just any early childhood center.

“It is hugely important that every child has the chance to attend a high-quality early childhood education center, and we are working to make sure there are more of those quality programs in areas like Shreveport,” White said.

As for the district’s involvement, board members including Lillian Priest have suggested in recent months opening up more district-operated ECE centers, but no plans are in place at this time.

Districtwide school choice

Scott Hughes, executive director for the Alliance for Education, said part of the reason magnet schools are successful is because of the stability they provide.

“As a parent of a magnet student, I can lose my job and move in with family or move from one side of the parish to another, and my child can still attend the same magnet school day in and out throughout that time,” Hughes said. “On the other side, some students in our parish are changing schools three or four times a year because their parents are constantly moving and finding new employment.”

To address that stability, districts such as Seattle have districtwide school choice where a student can select the school they want to attend no matter where they live.

“It’s great as long as your district can afford it,” said Walter Lee, former superintendent of DeSoto and Caddo schools.

Dawkins said the idea is something that has crossed his mind, but it must be what taxpayers want.

“Transportation already makes up $22 million of our budget, and that would increase greatly if we were to take on something like that,” Dawkins said. “I’m not opposed to the idea, but it has to be the best use of taxpayer dollars.”